Review – Marvel Universe Iron Man (Stealth Ops)

“Multi-billionaire industrialist Tony Stark has lived a double life as the hero Iron Man for years. He is an engineering genius; the best weapons designer on the planet. He personally builds every iteration of the Iron Man armor, trusting no one but himself with the powerful technology he harnesses. He has used his dual role both for personal gain, and the glory of mankind, as a solo adventurer, and a founding member of the Avengers.”
— from the back of the card

As much as I’ve rambled about the new Marvel Universe 3.75-inch action figure series over the past week — and, I admit, it’s been a lot — it should come as no surprise that I’m reviewing another figure in the series. This time around we have Iron Man . . . but not the basic Iron Man (I haven’t seen him in stores yet). No, this time we’re looking at “Stealth Ops” Iron Man.

Short review? Fun, attractive figure. Wanna know more? Keep reading.

I’m sure you’re not surprised at all that Iron Man’s packaged in the same style card as Spider-Man (who I reviewed a few days ago). The package is pretty much exactly the same, except that the card back shows Black Panther (who I saw in Toys’R’Us but passed on because, well, I don’t care about the character), Human Torch (again, pass), and Bullseye (who I’ll grab when I see him). I know that showing just a few figures leaves more room on the back for other stuff (like the descriptive text I’ve reprinted above), but I prefer a card back design that shows every figure in the series. But that’s a personal preference (and one you probably don’t care about).

Welcome, Tiny Iron Man

I’d already read the review of the basic Iron Man over at www.mwctoys.com so I had some idea what to expect before I even opened the package. I wasn’t certain until I compared the figure to the pictures online, but I’m now confident that these two figures (stealth and basic) are exactly the same with different paint jobs. That’s okay; the line is brand new and Hasbro needs to save on tooling. Alternate sculpts can come later (please, please, please let’s see a Hulkbuster Iron Man).

Overall articulation is pretty good, even if it’s not quite identical to Spider-Man’s articulation and even if Iron Man’s shoulder armor, and the general bulkiness of the figure, prevents him from taking full advantage of the swivel/hinge joints in the shoulder. I completely disagree with the www.mwctoys.com Iron Man review’s statement:

“Even with the bulky armor, the design allows for the improved articulation (more on that in a minute) to work extremely well, making him the most poseable of the bunch.”

From what I can tell, Iron Man’s not nearly as poseable as Spider-Man or Daredevil (and Daredevil actually isn’t a lot better). Iron Man’s feet can only bend up slightly before they hit the armor while, as I mentioned, the shoulder armor limits the arm movement. It’s nothing terrible, but it’s slightly annoying and should be kept in mind when you’re deciding whether or not you want to buy this figure.

In terms of sculpting, I think Iron Man may be the best of the three figures in the series that I currently own. No doubt it’s because mechanical detail are easier to sculpt than organic, realistic details, but regardless of the reason Iron Man really comes to life in this figure (he looks better than the 6-inch scale Satellite Armor Iron Man that I own, but a lot of that is probably because of how much Satellite Armor Iron Man sucks).

On sculpting, the www.mwctoys.com review says:

“The sculpt is crisp and sharp, with well defined armor and proper scale all around. The hand poses work perfectly, and even the expressionless mask emotes a kind of tough determination.”

What’s with this garbage?

Like Spider-Man, Iron Man includes a chunk of junky plastic that’s intended as an accessory. This time around we get a “blast effect” piece that connects to Iron Man’s wrist. It’s not quite as ugly as Spider-Man’s web glob plastic piece, but it’s still junk I could have done without. Give me a stand!

Closing Thoughts

I’m definitely a fan of the new Marvel Universe action figure line. With a wide variety of great figures, a website gimmick, and some nice sculpting and paint jobs, this series has started off very strong. Hopefully sales will be strong enough that Hasbro will keep the line going (and maybe even expand it with a few vehicles and playsets) and it will go long enough that we’ll see some of the really crazy Marvel characters. And you can help influence what’s coming! Hit the poll at www.furyfiles.com and vote today!

For more shots of the basic Iron Man, see this review at Toys N’ more, where the author writes:

“In conclusion, I would like to give this figure a 3.5/5. Partial points were taken off due to my particular mold defect. Another thing was the poseability, but this is my first 3 3/4″ figure, so I am not sure if this is what I should expect (ex. GI Joes). IMO, I think for the price ($10), it should include some more accesories. One thing that I think will be very useful is a display stand (another Revoltech influence). Will I buy more? Definitely yes! Especially since there is another Iron Man coming in the second wave!”

Yeah, a display stand is a must. Come on, Hasbro. Toss stands in with the figures! Your G.I. Joe action figures include stands so start adding stands to Star Wars and Marvel Universe figures. I demand it!

And for those of you who enjoy video reviews, there’s this review of the basic Iron Man at YouTube. It’s not great — the guy needs to articulate and plan before filming — but it is a different viewpoint on the series.

Philip Reed read Iron Man back in the eighties, when he was in high school. What he remembers, more than any other single storyline, is the Armor Wars series in which Iron Man destroyed armored suits that were built from Stark’s technology. Good times.